My mum tried to call me last week. I saw her name on my screen, rejected her call and rang her back straight away – this time with a video. I know we’re all tired of seeing a fuzzy, pixelated loved one on a tiny screen, but I would still rather speak this way than in a regular phone call. I’ve always thought there’s something about seeing someone’s expressions, gestures and surroundings that makes them much more relaxing than voice only calls.

But it turns out, as well as just wanting to see my mum’s face, I might be suffering from phone anxiety. If you’re like me, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The good news is there are even a few things you can do to help get over it.

Speaking of anxiety, I loved reading the books of Roald Dahl as a child, but they did make me worry I might one day wake up glued to my ceiling or discover the lady down the road was actually a witch. This week, we’ve been learning why the author was such a passionate advocate for vaccines, as told by someone who treated him towards the end of his life.

We’ve also been hearing how cow’s milk has been linked to breast cancer, which is now the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in the world.

Abigail Beall

Science and Tech Editor

Many people feel anxious when receiving a phone call. Shutterstock/Sergey Mironov

Phone call anxiety: why so many of us have it, and how to get over it

Ilham Sebah, Royal Holloway

If you find phone calls stressful, there are a few things you can do to make it easier.

Roald Dahl with his wife Patricia Neal and children Olivia (right) Tessa, and Theo (in pram). PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

How Roald Dahl became a passionate vaccine advocate

Tom Solomon, University of Liverpool

Roald Dahl's daughter Olivia died of measles aged seven.

Some studies have linked drinking milk with higher risk of oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Summersky/ Shutterstock

Breast cancer: is milk a risk factor?

Richard Hoffman, University of Hertfordshire

Cow's milk naturally raises levels of a growth factor strongly implicated in breast cancer risk.

Politics + Society

Environment + Energy

Science + Technology

Arts + Culture

Business + Economy

 

Featured events

Escape from Empire: Agroecological autonomy in European peripheries

Priory Street, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV1 5FB, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Coventry University

The Profits of Slavery and the Wealth of Universities

Online, Birmingham, Warwickshire, b15 2tt, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham

National Parks: places to walk? Places to conserve? Places to research?

Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD], CF10 3BA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Cardiff University

Preventing A Clotting Catastrophe: The COVID Connection - Online Public Lecture by Professor Jon Gibbins

Whiteknights, Reading, West Berkshire, OX141DL, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Reading

More events
 

Contact us here to have your event listed.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here